Human Rights Doctors Group Named UConn Dodd Prize Recipient

STORRS, CT — Physicians for Human Rights, an organization that has worked to prevent atrocities and document war crimes around the globe for more than 30 years, will be awarded the Thomas J. Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights at the University of Connecticut’s Thomas J. Dodd Research Center on Thursday, Nov. 2.

UConn announced the award this week.

Headquartered in New York, PHR occupies a distinct role in the global human rights movement, using forensic science, clinical medicine, and public health research to document torture, systematic abuse, and other crimes against humanity, as well as train and empower health professionals globally to investigate and prevent human rights violations.

“Physicians for Human Rights exemplifies the kind of work the Dodd Prize was created to honor,” said former U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, whose father, a prosecutor at Nuremburg and U.S. senator himself, the award is named for. “PHR is a fearless defender of the most vulnerable victims of human rights, on the ground in the most terrible conflict zones, in the courtroom helping to hold perpetrators accountable, and in the public sphere advocating for policies that protect the dignity of all,” Dodd said. “My father would recognize in PHR the same spirit that animated the Nuremberg Tribunals, but also would be amazed at PHR’s innovation and courage in seeking justice and accountability for the perpetrators of atrocities.”

Phycians for Human Rights is the eighth recipient of the Dodd Prize, which commemorates the work and example of Sen. Thomas J. Dodd, who served as executive trial counsel during the Nuremberg war crimes trials after World War II before embarking on a career in the U.S. House of Representatives (1953-1957) and the U.S. Senate (1959-1971). Past recipients of the prize include President Bill Clinton, former Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Committee to Protect Journalists. The prize includes a $100,000 award and a bronze bust of Sen. Thomas J. Dodd.

See more about the Dodd Prize here.

Photo Credit: Physicians for Human Rights